Process of burning solid fuel.



0. B. EVANS.

PROCESS OF BURNING SOLID FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 26, 1912.

Patented Sept. 23, 1633.

UNITED STATES "PAQQENT OFFICE.

more or PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT COMPANY, OF PHILADELPHTA, FEYINYLVASI1A, A contammtocnss F BURNING scion; FUEL.

Lil-Tunas.

specification c! Litei'i Patent. Piitefitd S pt, 23, 1913,

Applieafien filed Karel: 26, 1918. flerinl No. 886,894.

on, :1 may om-cm: nown that It OWEN BROOKE EVANS, a citizen of tlw linitcti States. I'QSHlIBg at -Lans 'lownc. in tin; county of Dclaware and described in conm State of Pcnnbylvanin. have invented a new and ir-rf' l Process of Burning Solid Fuel, of which the following i.- a specification;

The present invention is applicable to gas producers. li coinlvustion therein being incomplete and tin) givgcmarated conducted therefrom and llalj il .wpnriitely, and it is 3130 applicable whore the combustion within the device is "omplotc.

The principal object of the present invention is'to pron-n t or minimize tLe aggluination in tin. form of suwalled clinker of the partly melted residuum of the forced C(JillbUSllU of i lied of coal u! fuel which has a fus ble ash.

To thin and other ends hereinafter set forth the invention. gent-rally stated, coir in maintaining in the fuel bed superposied tor of rc ively high uml low temperuturt sum it: will and will not melt and agglutinut the residuum or Zfil) into clinker by apportiiuzing a divided blunt hctween them feeding through the upycr and hotter zone a suificieiu uantity of unburned fuel along with the residuum or aah of the burned fuel for preventing agglutination of the partly incited iitll or residuum into clinker, and feeding ill: last mentioned unburned fuel and divided residuum to the lower and cooler zone and t c burning such fuel at kl. temperature i. i ticut to agglutiniite the divided a The pl )t.'tr-'- rt ilieinvention will lit? claimed at ill: 5', hot-cot" and can lJP. I)FaC- tigctl by meat f {i grout variety f uppitl'dlfllS and alone or it; ount: )ll with utiivr industrial PTCCtEA llo'wc rt. it will lug: drawin; in which- Figure 1,

f gas prorlu 0; generator, fig. 2

r s'iet oi another type. Fig. i: it ezsc so 'tioinil 1 :zew of P1 and l ig.

.iucer or generator.

efcrring to the drawings the bed of fuel is shown contained in a generator 1. ha ing a fuel intake 2, and an oil-take 5. for ofulu-"zts of comhustion, fuel gas; or the like.

Mid at: :uperposed zones of relatively 1 Vertical section of one type high and low temperatures. These sent-s need not be sharply defined although they l1; fact: exist As shown in Fig. 1, the zones may be said to be confluent. As shown in Fig. 2, they are partly separated by the bridge witll 0, and as shown in Fig. 3,- they are separated by th e grate 7-, which may of course be water coole' These zones 4 and 5, of relatively high and low temperatures are maintained by apportioning a divided blast between them. In Fig. 1, the divisions of the blast are applied to the different zones by pipt-e or connections 8 and 9, one terminating beneath and the Other above the grate 10; This is accomplished in Fig. 2; by the pipes or connections 11 and 12. The connection 11, discharges beneath the grate 10, and the connections 12, discharge beheath the bridge 6. which-distributes the blast by reason of the space 13, beneath it; In 3, the connection 14, supplies the. blast beneath thov grate l0 and the connection 16, supplies the blast beneath the grate 7.

The blast referred to is primarily intended to be an air blast such as is used in forced combustion or gas making but it is not in tended to exclude the use of steam. For the sake of further description and without intending to limit the claims, it may be said that with anthracite coal the maximum temperature of the zone 4, mightbe, for example, 3,000 F. and the maximum tempet-attire of the zone 5, 2,000 F. both more or less. The total blast may be apportioned 1'5 thereof to the zone 4.; and thereof to the zone both more or lea. The [8UP perature in the part of the fuel bed, for convenience referred to a the zone 4, is sufli ientiy l'iigh to ause melting and agglutination of the r*' 'duuin of the comhus- 5 tion of fuel which hit, it fu ihle Hill into in es usually called clinker: and the temperature in the part of the fuel bed. for ti-onvcnit-ncc referred to the zone- 5, i5 lm 'cr and not aufiicicntly high to cause such agglutination but in the zone 4, there agglutination into clinkcr of the fuscd or partially llbk l r reitluuni, and the prerence of this fuel in the zone 4. is insured by proper feeding. The fuel last referred to i descenda to and is consumed in the zone 5, i Where the temperature is so low that ag- 2 i; a ertical section. of a third type of pro is present sufficient carbon for preventing glutination intoiclinker of the divided residuum does not'take place.

to limit the claims, it may be said that at the top of the fuel bed there is fuel and at the i bottom there is a divided residuum of com- 1 bustion free or at any rate substantially free from clinker, and that at the zone 4, there is present suflicient carbon for pre venting'agglutination of the fused or partly fused residuum, so that what is known as clinker is practically absent. As an illustration and not to limit claims, it may be said that in the zone 4, and in the case of anthracite coal, there is present about onehalf carbon and one-half residuum. Incidentally it may be remarked that for economic and other well known reasons it is necessary in the combustion of fuel which has a fusible ash to raise the temperature to a point at which such ash would, if unrestrained and uncontrolled, agglutinate into masses called clinkers. By the present invention, however, the existence of these high temperatures, which are high enough to fuse the residuum, is limited to that portion of the fuel bed which has suflicient carbon to prevent the fused residuum from agglutimating and in that way clinkers are avoided while at the same time combustion of the fuel is satisfactorily carried on under forced draft. It is hardly necessary to state that to remove clinkers is a laborious operation and the presence of clinkers interferes with combustion so that the importance of avoiding the formation of clinkers is for these reasons, as well as for manv other reasons well known to those skilled in the art, obvious. Even if the temperature in the zone 4, is sufficient to fuse or melt the ash there is carbon left in the material which carbon works into the lower zone and is there burned because such carbon moves down through the zone 4, to take the place of the carbon burned in the zone 5, or by reason of the removal ofash from the zone ,5. It might be said that even if the conditions are favorable in the zone 4, for burning carbon, For the sake of further description but without intending still the feed through that zone is so fast that all of the carbon in that-zone is not burned.

What- I claim is:

1. In the forced combustion of a bed of fuel having a fusible ash, the improved process of preventing clinker which consists in maintaining in the bed superposed horizontal zones of relatively high and low temperatures such as would and would not melt and agglutinate the residuum of combustion by apportioning a divided blast between the zones, uniting the divided portions of the blast and conducting the same through the upper zone and superposed fuel, feeding through the upper and hotter zone sufficient fuel for insuring the presence of enough carbon mixed with residuum for preventing agglutination of the partly melted residuum, and feeding the last mentioned fuel and divided residuum to the lower and cooler zone and there burning the fuel at a temperature insufiicient to agglutinate the residuum.

2. The process of preventing the formation of clinkers in the combustion of a bed of fuel having a fusible ash, which consists in maintaining in the bed superposed horizontal zones extending all the Way across the bed each of uniform temperature throughout its extent and. whereof one zone is of relatively high temperature and the other is of relatively low temperature, preventing the agglutination of the fused residuum in the first mentioned zone by maintaining carbon admixed with the residuum, and thereafter burning the la t mentioned carbon out of the divided residuum in the last mentioned zone at a* temperature insufficient for agglutinating such divided residuum.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name.

OWEN BROOKE EVANS.

Witnesses:

Currono K. CAssnL, FRANK E. Frauen, 

